venerdì 28 settembre 2012

Stock index futures point slightly higher

European shares rose on Friday, led by Spanish blue-chips after the country's crisis budget raised expectations it would apply for a sovereign bailout.

Japan's Nikkei .N225 average hit a two-week closing low as concerns about falling revenues for Japanese companies in China outweighed optimism over Spain's new economic reform plans.

Spain was set to remain in focus on Friday as Spanish banks learn from an audit the extent of the damage from the collapse of a real estate boom and Moody's publishes a review of the country's credit rating, possibly downgrading it to junk status.

The U.S. Commerce Dept releases August personal income and consumption data at 1230 GMT. Economists in a Reuters survey expect a 0.2 percent rise in income and a 0.5 percent increase in spending. In July, income rose 0.3 percent and spending was up 0.4 percent.

The Institute of Supply Management in Chicago publishes its September index of manufacturing activity at 1345 GMT. The index is seen at 53.0, a repeat of the August reading.

Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan release their final September consumer sentiment index at 1355 GMT. It is expected to come in at 79.0, compared with 79.2 in the preliminary September report.

Apple's (AAPL.O) competitor Research In Motion (RIM.TO) reported a narrower-than-expected loss on Thursday. The struggling BlackBerry maker bolstered its cash reserves, sparking optimism ahead of the launch of its make-or-break line of next-generation smartphones.

Groupon Inc (GRPN.O), the world's largest online daily deals provider, is reshuffling senior management roles in an attempt to fix its struggling European business - a shake-up that will also include the departure of its chief of international business.

Facebook Inc (FB.O) is taking a small step toward becoming an e-commerce platform by launching a feature for users to buy and send real gifts worth as much as hundreds of dollars.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) for years misstated that the executive handpicked to head its pending pharmaceutical spinoff held both bachelor's and master's degrees, and on Thursday called the misinformation "an administrative error".

Medtronic Inc (MDT.N), the world's largest stand-alone maker of medical devices, said that it will buy orthopedic device maker China Kanghui Holdings (KH.N) for $755 million to enter the Chinese medical device market.

Drugs retailer Walgreen is due to report fourth-quarter results, expected to show a decline inearnings per share to 0.56 from 0.57 one year earlier. The company lost customers and revenue after a contract dispute left it unable to fill prescriptions for Express Scripts patients.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI shot up 72.46 points, or 0.54 percent, to 13,485.97 on Thursday. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 13.83 points, or 0.96 percent, to finish at 1,447.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC gained 42.90 points, or 1.39 percent, to close at 3,136.60.